


In the Shadow of Hunger

by Varkelton



Series: Shadows [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: AU, Gen, M/M, Pre-Series, Wee!chesters, Werewolves, preslash or gen (depending on which way you squint)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-30
Updated: 2010-08-30
Packaged: 2017-10-18 07:12:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/186317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Varkelton/pseuds/Varkelton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s not easy to keep your humanity when destiny is fighting you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the Shadow of Hunger

**Author's Note:**

> _  
> **Fic: In the Shadow of Hunger**   
> _
> 
> **By[](http://varkelton.livejournal.com/profile)[ **varkelton**](http://varkelton.livejournal.com/)**  
>  © 8/29/10
> 
>  **Genre** : Gen (Well, at least in _my_ head, but some of my betas thought it was pre-slash. Read it however makes you happy. :)  
>  **Rating** : PG  
>  **Characters** : Sam, Dean  
>  **Word Count** : 1,166  
>  **Disclaimer:** Do you suppose if I asked sweetly, the boys would give themselves to me? Yeah, I know, not after they read my stories. _Darn!_ Labor of love. No profit.  
>  **Warnings** : Blood-drinking. Pre-series werewolf AU. Sam is thirteen.  
>  **AN** : This story works nicely as a tag for **[Descent into Shadow](http://varkelton.livejournal.com/34544.html)** and **[Steel on Shadow](http://rivestra.livejournal.com/16030.html)** , but can easily be read as stand-alone.  
>  _Written for the Hunger square on my[Angst Bingo Card](http://varkelton.livejournal.com/34752.html). Get your own at [](http://angst-bingo.livejournal.com/profile)[**angst_bingo**](http://angst-bingo.livejournal.com/)!_  
>  **Betas** : I was overwhelmed by the response I got when I asked for betas for this story! Thanks so much to [](http://vodou-blue.livejournal.com/profile)[**vodou_blue**](http://vodou-blue.livejournal.com/) , [](http://justmmy.livejournal.com/profile)[**justmmy**](http://justmmy.livejournal.com/) , [](http://locknkey.livejournal.com/profile)[**locknkey**](http://locknkey.livejournal.com/) and, of course, my beloved [](http://rivestra.livejournal.com/profile)[**rivestra**](http://rivestra.livejournal.com/) , without whom there would be no stories from me at all, let alone this one.

~oO0Oo~

Sam wakes in the usual sprawl and tangle of limbs and naked flesh. Dean’s head is face-down in Sam’s pit, his lips and cheeks distorted and sweaty. A thin line of drool forms a long, shiny string between Dean’s lips and Sam’s skin. His mood high, Sam lets out a laugh and pushes his brother off of him.

Dean rolls away and comes up in a defensive posture. A tight, disoriented growl slips out as he looks around in alarm for the source of attack. Sam lets out another crowing laugh and crawls forward quickly to lick at the smudge of dirt that’s decorating Dean’s chin.

“Jerk,” Dean mutters, relaxing even as he shoves Sam away. He crawls out of the cave they’ve been calling home the last few months, and Sam is quick to follow his brother out, not wanting to be left behind.

Dean moves over to one of the trees to relief himself. Sam leaves him to it, relaxing against one of the larger rocks. It’s warm already, and they’re both pretty dirty. They should go out to the lake today. The run would feel good, the cool water even better. It’s just a matter of leading his brother there.

As soon as Dean finishes, Sam runs forward to tackle him to the ground. They wrestle for a few minutes on the floor of the forest. Sam manages to pin Dean, but he’s pretty sure Dean let him win, so he can’t quite revel in his sense of accomplishment. The desire to move is still urging him on, and he nips Dean’s skin hard before launching himself through the trees.

He runs. Dean’s right behind him, just like he knew Dean would be, and he lets the change take him as he moves gracefully through the forest. It barely hurts at all anymore. The tingle in the back of his neck tells him Dean is changing too, and he grins, knowing it still takes Dean longer, knowing he’ll be able to keep his lead.

The water calls to him, and saliva gathers in his mouth at the thought of catching one of the large fish there. It won’t satisfy the itch for blood that’s been building steadily over the last day, but maybe he can convince Dean to go on another hunt tonight.

Lost in his thoughts, the sharp, earthy smell of blood crashes over him, catching him completely off guard. He stumbles, his frantic stop sending him flipping forward into a somersault to land belly first, sliding several feet to a stop. Frantically, he looks around for his brother. He’d be reddening if he was in his human form. Fortunately, Dean’s still back a ways - he’s still changing, and Sam spares a moment of thanks for small favors. Dean would have never let him live that one down.

The pull of awakening hunger sends him moving forward, all thoughts of Dean slipping away as he moves cautiously through the trees. The source of the smell isn’t that far, and Sam comes up short, mesmerized by the sight that greets him in the small clearing that edges the cliffs. There’s a man there, just lying on the ground in a haphazard sprawl. He’s torn up pretty bad from the fall, his life’s blood welling up through numerous cuts and scrapes to drip teasingly onto the dirt underneath his long form.

Dean hasn’t let Sam be around people - not since they changed. He’s grateful for that, most of the time. He’s thankful that Dean’s control is better than his own. He is. But there’s still a small voice that sulks in the back of his mind, persistent and poisonous. He can feel his stomach churning with hunger. He _wants_.

He takes a step forward, maybe two. He should wait for Dean. He knows this. The gap between himself and the man closes. The smell is so strong here, Sam can taste it on the back of his tongue. It drives him forward.

Relentless.

Just one taste…

The man is right in front of him now, and his tongue darts out to trail through the slick of blood on the man’s arm. He pulls it back in almost as fast, too eager for the warm pulse of life to fill his soul. He _needs_ this. The blood slides down his throat, into his stomach and out to his extremities in a wave of ecstasy that he’s powerless to deny. _More_. It’s the only coherent thought he can form, and instinct takes over as he opens his jaws to rip the man’s throat open.

But he can’t… he can’t… From somewhere deep, he pulls on reserves of strength he didn’t know he had, and lets his wolf fall away.

The blood lust is still riding him hard, demanding that he rend and tear and take, but he thinks he might not have to kill the man to appease the call. Snatching the man’s arm, he digs roughly at the skin to open the wound as he latches onto it with his mouth. The blood is flowing freely now, and he sucks and bites at the ugly gash he made with his own hands, swallowing down frantic gulps of the precious ruby liquid.

He hadn’t even known how much he needed this. If it didn’t mean removing his lips from the source of the blood, he’d howl his satisfaction into the wind.

A heavy weight crashes against him, sending him hurtling away from the only thing he needs. He’s too distracted to really fight back, and Dean has him pinned before he even makes the connection that Dean is _here_. Fierce, angry eyes stare down into his own, eyes that command him to stay still, eyes that also brim with love, and he can’t fight against the imperative to stay, to obey, anymore than he could stop breathing. He’s as much Dean’s as Dean is his. He looks away in submission, gulping in deep breaths to try and quiet the fire that’s still rushing through his veins.

Dean is breathing almost as hard as he is, waves of anguish and pain pouring out with each exhalation. Sam has disappointed his brother, and the pain of that jackknifes through his heart. That was never what he wanted. Still, the smell of heat and metal is strong, and it pulls at him. The yearning need of it wars with his love for Dean and the conflicting desires threaten to tear him in two.

His body finally human, Dean collapses on top of Sam and buries his face against Sam’s neck. “You can’t, Sammy, you just can’t, okay? You can’t…”

Dean’s mouth is warm and wet against Sam’s throat, and Sam arches against it, silently begging. The words abruptly cut off, and Dean gathers Sam’s skin between his teeth, biting down hard, claiming, cutting, marking. Sam whimpers his surrender through clenched teeth.

Dean releases his hold, lets his lips linger there for just a moment, like a prayer, before he struggles them both up to stumble away from the clearing.


End file.
